OLu has been sponsoring seven children in India through Promise Child since 2010. Promise Child is a local Christian non-profit organization that has helped establish schools in India and several other countries. All of the donations to Promise Children are distributed through these schools. The in-country directors of the schools are believers, as are all the teachers, so these children are receiving the Word of God each day as well. In Summer 2011, our Missions Program sent a team to these schools in India and we were blessed to meet not only the children that we sponsor, but also the wonderful staff that run the schools each day.
In 2014, OLu Missions went on a trip to Ethiopia where our students found that due to limited hygiene resources and the effects of the sun at high elevation, the people of Ethiopia had many eye problems that were going untreated. Determined to help, our students began collecting eyeglasses on campus and sending them to an optometrist we had partnered with in Ethiopia. Since then, we have collected and sent over 1500 pairs of eyeglasses to Ethiopia.
Over the years, however, we have found that many other countries are in need of eyeglasses and for that reason, we are now sending eyeglasses to Cuba, Romania, and India. We have amazing contacts in each of these countries that are dedicated to spreading the gospel message of Jesus Christ and caring for the people in these regions in all forms, including giving them vision to see! Please join us in donating all unwanted sunglasses, prescription glasses, and reading glasses to the welcome center desk at the front of the school.
Our recycling program continues to raise over $3,000 each school year simply by recycling plastic bottle and cans around campus. It is not uncommon for our students to make $20 per hour, and 100 percent of this money goes directly to the students that recycle to pay for mission trips. Students can also bring in recycling from home that will be counted towards their mission trip money.
Almost every year our Lancer athletic teams purchase new uniforms, warm-ups, equipment, shoes/cleats, and bags. Instead of throwing them away or leaving them unworn in the closet, give them to us! We take suitcases full of equipment from our teams as well as individual donors on almost all of our mission trips to distribute to kids. We also partner with other ministries that distribute the equipment to children in different countries around the world.